Chapter 1: Warriors of Days Gone Past
My earliest memory is the smell of sea salt. Nothing else, just sea salt. I know whatever happened that day must've wiped the rest of my memory, because it wasn't normal for someone to not remember any of their life before age seven. "Orange" mom called from the kitchen, shaking me out of my thoughts. "Could you go get me some pecha berries, please?"
"Okay, mom." I said, adjusting the old straw hat on my head as I walked to the door of our homemade house in Viridian Woods. The door was faintly scorched, a result of a member of the construction crew being one powerful pikachu, but it opened easily. Of course, as it turns out I wasn't getting any pecha berries that day.
There was a boy who, if his hair was blonde instead of black, would've looked like an older version of my younger brother Neon laying on our front porch. "Mom, there's a boy outside, around my age." I called. "And I think he's out cold."
"Oh, dear!" Mom walked in, her long blonde ponytail flowing behind her and spatula still in hand. "Not another one. Honestly, trainers need to be more careful in the woods. They're going to get hurt-" she froze as she looked down at the young man. When she spoke again, her voice took on that calm quiet tone that meant something was horribly off. "Orange go get your father. Tell him the clock is broken." With that my Mom began to carefully pull the young man into the house. I did as I was told and ran, as I did so I used two fingers to let out a high-pitched whistle. Instantly three pokemon came rushing out of the woods to run with me.
Rita was on my shoulder in an instant, cheeks sparking as if to ask where the threat was. "No threat that I know of, but there's a message for dad and mom seemed pretty freaked." I explained to them. Other pokemon watched us from the edges of the path we'd veered onto, but I was a local here. They wouldn't bother me.
Finally I reached the city, immediately heading for the gym. I rung the bell and after a minute or so Dad opened the door, his pokemon still training behind him. "Hey, Orange!" He said, smiling. "What's brought you to the gym?"
"Mom sent me. She said to tell you the clock is broken."
Dad's carefree smile faded. "That's not good. I should've known it would happen soon." He turned to his team. "You guys know what to do!" Aero turned and flew out the door, Vee racing out after him towards Uncle Green and Aunt Blue's place. The rest were recalled to their pokeballs. "Come on, Orange. You remember all those stories I told you about my adventures?" He asked as we walked through the woods towards our house.
"Yeah."
"Well you're about to go on one yourself. For now all you need to know is that boy isn't from our time. And as of now, answer as few questions as possible."
"What do you mean?"
We'd reached the front door, when dad opened it I saw the boy from earlier sitting on the couch, a familiar looking pikachu on his shoulder. Dad smiled at him. "Hello, Red."
"Dad there's a knocked out teenager on my bed."
"Wait, what? Knocked out or knocked up?"
"Well considering he's a guy I'm gonna go with knocked out."
"Opal why is there a knocked out guy on your bed?"
"I dunno, he was there when I walked in. He kinda looks like Bronze."
"Hey, you finally said his name! Next you have to call him your brother!"
"Don't count on it. So about the unconscious teenager…?"
"Let me see him."
I used my pokegear to show dad the unconscious teenager on the uniform PokemonCenter bed. "So?" I turned the phone back so she could see dad's face again. His golden eyes were wide and his mouth open in a perfect O. "Oh, boy. Here we go. Opal, I'm gonna be frank. That boy is going to open his mouth and your jaw is going to hit the floor. He's not from this time period. As of now answer as few questions as you can, I'll be there soon." And he hung up.
The boy on the bed groaned and reached up to rub his forehead. "Ow…dang it, where am I?" He used his arms to pull himself into a sitting position. "It kinda looks like the pokemon center."
"That's because it is." I said
The boy looked at me, and our eyes met. Instantly the tension in his shoulders was gone, and dad's guess was proven correct: my mouth was wide open. "You've got the Maple family eyes!" He said. "That means we're related, which means I trust you."
I looked at him silently before I reluctantly said "yeah, I'm a Maple. Who are you?"
"Gold Maple, pokedex holder of Johto!" He held out his hand for me to shake. I stared at him in silence as I remembered one sentence dad had said. "He's not from this time period."
Fuck my life.
"Quartzy dearest, there's a pair of unconscious girls on the couch!"
"Is it anyone we know?" I shouted back as I continued to blow dry my hair.
"No, but they look awfully familiar!" Azure called back. "Come see!"
"My hair is a mess!"
"Darling I know the value of proper self grooming, but you really ought to see this!"
From the way you talked you'd think he would be a perfect gentleman. I reluctantly turned the hairdryer off. "All right, I'm coming!" I opened the door and headed towards the living room, where Azure had already handcuffed the girls to the coffee table. His words sounded like those of a gentlemen, but his actions would always give him away.
"See, look at them! Don't they look familiar to you?" Azure said, taking the younger one and showing me her face.
"As a matter of fact, she kinda does." I said, walking over to the group. "She actually looks a lot like my mom."
"And this one looks like my beloved Mama!" Azure said, showing me the other one.
As he did that, the younger of the two began to stir. We both froze. "UNCLE EM!" I shrieked at the top of my lungs. Instantly I heard a crash from his office, and only a minute later the door slammed open to reveal my extremely short uncle, his clothes still coated in machine oil. We had been told not to bother him unless it was an emergency but I thought this qualified.
His eyes looked about ready to pop of his head. "I forgot you two were at my place when it happened! Just…when they wake up, don't answer any questions. I've got some calls to make!" With that he rushed off.
The older girl was also starting to stir.
"Wha-?" The younger said, her eyes blinking open. "Where am I?" She stiffened, and instantly reached over to shake the older girl furiously. "Senior Blue! Senior Blue, get up!"
"Sapphire?" The older girl said, slowly opening her eyes. "Why are you in my house?"
Azure and I could only stare in silence. Blue and Sapphire? No, it couldn't be!
…right?
For a moment I stared at the sight in silence. Only a minute later the door slammed open and I stormed out into the hallway "Hamilton! HAMILTON!"
A minute later our household's head guard rushed over to me. "My lady, what's wrong?"
"There is a strange girl on my bed!"
"There's a strange boy on mine." Maroon said, exiting his room. "Hamilton, how did they get in?"
The guard looked shocked. "I don't know. I- I'll have them removed immediately."
"No need." All three of us turned and bowed to the man walking up towards us. He smiled kindly and gestured for us to stand. "I've said not to bow to me before, that's your mother's thing. Hamilton, don't worry about this. You're dismissed." The man nodded and walked back down the hallway, most likely to check the surveillance system to see when someone could've gotten in.
"Father, why are you allowing them to stay? They broke in!" I screeched. My father's kindness was legendary, but this was just taking it too far!
He calmly walked up to my room and opened the door, looking over the figure on the bed. He nodded. "Maroon, we're going to take the boy on your bed and leave the house for a while."
My brother looked confused. "Why? Where will we go?"
"Pearl's" my Father said. "I'll explain everything on the way." He walked into the bedroom and emerged a second later with a boy who looked about the same age as me.
We heard the familiar click of heels, and both Maroon and I quickly turned to bow to our Mother. "Stand, my dear children" she said, and we did so. She quickly approached Father. "So it's happened." She said, gently brushing a lock of hair off the boy's face. "You better go."
Father nodded. "Maroon, follow me." He turned and led my brother out of sight.
Mother turned to me. "Lazuli, the girl in your room will prove an essential ally and a good friend in the coming days. However, she will not be what you expect. But I shall expect you to give her your full respect, though you must answer as few questions as possible."
My Mother never acted cryptic in this way. "And what should I address her as?" My eyes pleaded with hers. You've always told me if I ask a question, you will answer it. Please, I need answers.
Mother smiled "you have your father's eyes" she said. "The most beautiful, expressive eyes I have ever seen." She sighed. "The girl's name is Platinum Berlitz, the heir to the Berlitz fortune."
"Hey mom?"
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Did Dad let a couple of trainers stay the night?"
"No, why do you ask?"
"Well there are two of them in my bedroom."
"WHAT."
"You know, they look kinda cute! Why don't you take a picture instead of ripping dad's head off?"
"They look cute? Well for Mew's sake don't wake them up before I get upstairs, I can kill your father later!"
I breathed a sigh of relief. Crisis averted. I turned back to the pair on my bed, and raised an eyebrow. The girl had just deliberately moved herself closer to the boy. "Okay, you're awake. Stop faking."
The girl frowned and her eyes peeked open just as my mom rushed into the room. In the blink of an eye Mom's enthusiasm was gone, her face now showing the same look she would get if the bodies on my bed were dead and rotting. "Oh, crap." She said, her voice coming out as more of a squeak. She pulled out her pokegear and dashed off a quick message to who I could only assume was dad. "Taupe sweetheart, these are old friends of mine and your dad's. Kinda. Just…don't answer any questions except location and time period." With that she darted off.
Why would they be asking about the time period? I looked back to the bed to see both of the trainers were sitting up and looking at me in confusion. Huh, now that I think about it they really looked a lot like younger versions of my parents-
…oh.
So that's the beginning. I don't have a lot to say about this yet, but I figure it's pretty obvious as to who our various narrators are, though don't worry: this is only a few of them, one for each region. I already have the second chapter drafted, so it should be out shortly. See you soon.
-Hero of the Dark